Children who learn to read at an early age have greatly expanded opportunities for future growth and development. Therefore, significant resources have been devoted to learning more about effective ways to teach children to read. Generally, the earlier in life that literacy development begins for a child, the more effective the educational process will be. One important way to help children develop their literacy skills is to participate in reading and storytelling activities. Such activities not only help a child grow intellectually, but they also provide the child with social and emotional development opportunities as well. It is generally acknowledged that children should be actively involved in handling books and interacting with family members and teachers during reading activities. Indeed, the benefits to be gained from reading and storytelling activities are so widely recognized that many pediatricians prescribe reading to children along with regular check-ups and vaccinations.
When a child participates in reading and storytelling activities, a wide variety of factors contribute to the development of the child's literacy skills. For example, bright and colorful illustrations can captivate even young infants whose eyes are only beginning to focus. As children begin to develop hand-eye coordination, “point-and-say” books provide an important avenue for developing basic motor skills and for learning basic linguistic sounds. By watching someone read a familiar book, children can begin to match print to sound, and can begin to develop their memory skills as well. Remarkably, these and other benefits can be gained by simply sitting with a child and reading a book.